Disaster reliefhttp://www.businessinsider.com/category/disaster-relief
en-usFri, 09 Dec 2016 13:24:03 -0500Fri, 09 Dec 2016 13:24:03 -0500The latest news on Disaster relief from Business Insiderhttp://static3.businessinsider.com/assets/images/bilogo-250x36-wide-rev.pngBusiness Insiderhttp://www.businessinsider.com
http://www.businessinsider.com/r-disaster-loss-estimates-ignore-higher-cost-to-poor-world-bank-2016-11We've been underestimating the costs of natural disasters by up to 60%, according to a World Bank studyhttp://www.businessinsider.com/r-disaster-loss-estimates-ignore-higher-cost-to-poor-world-bank-2016-11
Mon, 14 Nov 2016 09:34:00 -0500
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/57c5ecfbb996eb98008b54b2-1500/ap_16240510270004.jpg" alt="italy earthquake" data-mce-source="AP Images" /></p><p></p>
<p>MARRAKESH, Morocco (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Natural disasters have a more devastating impact on the poor than widely thought, forcing some 26 million people into poverty each year and setting back global spending on goods and services by the equivalent of $520 billion annually, the World Bank said on Monday.</p>
<p>The human and economic costs of disasters, caused by extreme weather and earthquakes, have been underestimated by up to 60 percent because they ignore the high toll on the consumption and related well-being of the poor, the bank said in a new study.</p>
<p>&ldquo;Severe climate shocks threaten to roll back decades of progress against poverty,&rdquo; said World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim in a statement. "Building resilience to disasters not only makes economic sense, it is a moral imperative.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Stephane Hallegatte, lead author of the report, said poor people tend to suffer more from disasters as they often live in places that are hit more often, and lose a bigger share of their income. They also receive less support from governments, friends and family, he added.</p>
<p>The report notes that a flood or earthquake can be disastrous for poor people but have a negligible impact on a country's overall wealth or production if it affects people who own almost nothing and have very low incomes.</p>
<p><img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/57b1aed35124c928671c3758-800/myanmar-monsoon-floods-kill-eight-disrupt-lives-of-400000-2016-8.jpg" alt="A woman carries her child as she walks through a flooded road in Kyaung Kone in Ayeyarwady division, Myanmar, August 12, 2016. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun " data-mce-source="Thomson Reuters" data-mce-caption="A woman carries her child as she walks through a flooded road in Kyaung Kone in Ayeyarwady division" /></p>
<p>But for them, disasters can have damaging long-term effects, such as forcing families to take a child out of school or to spend less on healthcare, it adds.</p>
<p>Among Guatemalan households hit by tropical storm Agatha in 2010, per capita consumption fell 5.5 percent, hiking poverty by 14 percent, according to research cited by the bank.</p>
<p>"Dealing with climate change and natural disasters and resilience is an important component of poverty reduction policy," Hallegatte told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.</p>
<p>If the value of assets threatened by disasters is the main factor in planning how to reduce risks, the majority of support will go to better-off countries and communities, he said.</p>
<p>The aim of the report &mdash; produced in response to demand from governments &mdash; is to help states balance protecting financial returns with taking care of the poor.</p>
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/560f69499dd7cc16008bf0b3-2400/guatemala mudslide_mill (1).jpg" alt="Guatemala Mudslide" data-mce-source="AP Photo/Moises Castillo" data-mce-caption="Rescuers carry a body recovered from the site of a landslide in Cambray, a neighborhood in the suburb of Santa Catarina Pinula, about 10 miles east of Guatemala City, Friday, Oct. 2, 2015." /></p>
<p>The World Bank plans to use the findings to steer policy discussions with countries on managing risks across the board.</p>
<p>The research could also guide countries on putting into practice their climate change action plans, submitted for the Paris Agreement that took effect on Nov. 4, Hallegatte said.</p>
<p>"If we select priorities based on our measure of the impact of natural disasters on well-being, we will be able to spend not only efficiently but also help the poorest," he said.</p>
<h2>Good for prosperity</h2>
<p>The study, produced with the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), uses a new method of measuring damages that factors in the unequal burden of disasters.</p>
<p>It also calculates that measures to help the poor withstand shocks could save countries and communities $100 billion a year and cut the impact of disasters on well-being by a fifth.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
<p>Those measures include creating early warning systems and giving wider access to personal banking, as well as insurance policies and social protection systems such as cash transfers and public works programs.</p>
<p><img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/5806e55d5124c9d23584c783-800/un-fears-more-cholera-in-haiti-after-storm-says-protests-slowing-relief.jpg" alt="A woman carries her child as she waits with others for medicines to be handed out after Hurricane Matthew hit Jeremie, Haiti, October 18, 2016. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins" data-mce-source="Thomson Reuters" data-mce-caption="A woman carries her child as she waits with others for medicines to be handed out after Hurricane Matthew hit Jeremie" /></p>
<p>The report gives a breakdown of the potential well-being gains for each of the 117 countries analyzed, including rich and poor nations, and suggests that it is not only the less well-off who could benefit from changes.</p>
<p>The United States, for instance, is classed as having lower socio-economic resilience to disasters - the ability of an economy to limit the effect of asset losses on well-being - than the Philippines. It stands to make gains of nearly $8 billion per year from investing in efforts to boost resilience, the report says.</p>
<p>Hallegatte, a lead economist with the GFDRR, said it was not yet possible to put a price on the measures required because they would differ from place to place, and in many cases the costs would be shared between states and other funding sources.</p>
<p>But it was in the interests of society to invest in boosting the resilience of the poor to disasters because it would cost less than bailing people out and rebuilding afterwards, he said.</p>
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/562496245afbd3975e8b4567-728/philippine-storm-weakens-after-killing-at-least-nine-leaving-thousands-stranded.jpg" alt="Residents hold on to a plastic hose and an electricity wire while trying to cross a flooded road amidst a strong current in Sta Rosa, Nueva Ecija in northern Philippines, October 19, 2015, after it was hit by Typhoon Koppu. REUTERS/Erik De Castro" data-mce-source="Thomson Reuters" data-mce-caption="Residents hold on to a plastic hose and an electricity wire while trying to cross a flooded road amidst a strong current in Sta Rosa, Nueva Ecija in northern Philippines" /></p>
<p>For example, social protection systems in Kenya and Uganda provided resources to vulnerable farmers well before drought hit in 2015, saving lives and cutting spending on emergency aid compared with similar droughts a decade ago, he said.&nbsp;</p>
<p>"If you have social protection systems... taxpayers will be the winners in the end because it is less costly than waiting for the catastrophe to happen," he said.</p>
<p>"There is a very selfish argument for reducing poverty, because it is just good for the prosperity of your country."</p>
<p>(Reporting by Megan Rowling @meganrowling; editing by Laurie Goering. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, property rights and climate change. Visit http://news.trust.org)</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/philippine-president-duterte-paris-agreement-climate-change-2016-11" >After high-profile backlash, the Philippines' president is softening his stance on a landmark climate deal</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-disaster-loss-estimates-ignore-higher-cost-to-poor-world-bank-2016-11#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/map-earthquakes-magnitude-animated-1900-2016-8">Animated map shows where the largest earthquakes of the past 100 years have struck</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/us-cities-under-25-ft-water-flood-2015-7What US cities will look like under 25 feet of waterhttp://www.businessinsider.com/us-cities-under-25-ft-water-flood-2015-7
Sat, 22 Oct 2016 14:00:00 -0400Rob Ludacer
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<p>Coastal cities could see a rise in sea levels by as much as 4 ft by the end of the century. To help put a visual to the number, artist <a href="http://nickolaylamm.com/">Nickolay Lamm</a> created this <a href="https://www.storagefront.com/therentersbent/what-will-sea-level-rise-look-like-in-real-life">series of simulations of US city landmarks</a> as affected by sea levels rising 5, 12 and 25 feet. Using <a href="http://sealevel.climatecentral.org/">Climate Central</a>'s sea level rise maps, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/us-city-sea-level-rise-maps-by-nickolay-lamm-2014-5">Lamm imagines recognizable locales</a> such as Venice Beach CA, Miami Beach FL, and Boston Harbor with catastrophic flooding.</p>
<p><em> </em><em style="line-height: 1.5em;">Produced by <a href="http://www.techinsider.io/author/rob-ludacer">Rob Ludacer</a></em></p>
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Wed, 24 Aug 2016 16:26:22 -0400Sonam Sheth
<p>A devastating earthquake <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/25/world/europe/italy-earthquake.html">hit central Italy on Wednesday</a>, killing at least 120 people and displacing more than 1,000.</p>
<p>At the epicenter of the quake — which had a magnitude of 6.2 — were the towns of Amatrice, Accumoli, Pescara del Tronto, and Arquata del Tronto.</p>
<p>Amatrice, in particular, was hit hard and saw its buildings and homes reduced to rubble. The only major structure left standing after the disaster hit was a clock tower in the town's historic center. The clock's hands were frozen at 3:36 a.m., the <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/23/europe/italy-earthquake/">exact time</a> the earthquake struck.</p>
<h2>Here's what the area looked like before the earthquake:</h2>
<p><img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/57bdfe0fdb5ce954008b8b2e-1187/screen%20shot%202016-08-24%20at%204.03.51%20pm.png" alt="Screen Shot 2016 08 24 at 4.03.51 PM" data-mce-source="Google Maps" data-mce-caption="A view of Amatrice and the clock tower before the earthquake."></p>
<h2>Here it is after:</h2>
<p><img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/57bdf6c0db5ce949188b89ef-2400/rtx2mw3i.jpg" alt="RTX2MW3I" data-mce-source="Thomson Reuters" data-mce-caption="Rescuers walk past the bell tower with the clock showing the time of the earthquake in Amatrice, central Italy, August 24, 2016."></p>
<p>The damage in Amatrice was so severe that the mayor, Sergio Pirozzi, <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/24/europe/italy-earthquake-towns/">told CNN</a> that the "town isn't here anymore."</p>
<p>It was crowded with residents and tourists who were visiting for the summer. The death toll is expected to rise as rescue workers uncover more damage and deal with potential aftershocks from the quake.</p>
<p><span>"There are so many dead I cannot make an estimate," Pirozzi told Rai state television, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/aug/24/strong-earthquake-hits-italy-with-people-reportedly-trapped-in-rubble">according to The Guardian</a>. "We have already extracted several dead bodies but we do not know how many there are below."</span></p>
<p><span>The damage in Amatrice, Accumoli, Arquata del Tronto, and surrounding areas was so severe that <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/photos-italy-earthquake_us_57bda1e7e4b0b51733a6c4a0">Italy sent military assistance</a>, and the Vatican announced that it would send its firefighters to help as well.</span></p>
<p><span><span>Aid workers and rescuers are still searching for those who may be lost in the debris — on late Wednesday, a firefighter <a href="http://bigstory.ap.org/article/595a515b78f2420cb155cd7c66bbf04b/italian-firefighter-chief-8-year-old-girl-pulled-out-alive">announced</a> that he'd pulled an 8-year-old girl out alive from the rubble — and Amatrice residents will not be allowed to sleep in the town on Wednesday night. </span></span></p>
<p><span><span>Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said, during an address to Italy, that "<span>In difficult times, Italy knows what to do," according to CNN.</span></span></span></p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/turkey-allow-russia-to-share-incirlik-air-base-2016-8" >Russia may set up camp in the base the US and NATO use to bomb ISIS</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/before-and-after-photo-of-amatrice-italy-after-earthquake-2016-8#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/6.2-magnitude-earthquake-hits-central-italy-2016-8">Huge devastation after 6.2 magnitude earthquake hits central Italy</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/heres-one-way-virtual-reality-might-save-your-life-2016-8Here's one way virtual reality might save your lifehttp://www.businessinsider.com/heres-one-way-virtual-reality-might-save-your-life-2016-8
Sun, 14 Aug 2016 09:00:00 -0400David Choi
<p><img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/5200f898eab8ea715200000c-2000/ap9803210609.jpg" alt="virtual reality" data-mce-source="AP/Christof Stache"></p><p></p>
<p>Virtual reality seems to be the rage these days — not only are military and local law enforcement officers using it to simulate life-like scenarios involving firearms, but average consumers are also taking part in the eye-opening experience for their own entertainment.</p>
<p>But there’s another use for VR technology that’s often overlooked amidst the virtual muzzle flashes and the more <a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/3056558/sports-illustrated-swimsuit-vr-couldnt-be-more-intimate" target="_blank">intimate</a> scenarios: disaster response training.</p>
<p>By creating an artificial scenario where floods or volcanic activity can effectively test one’s mettle and training, the Department of Homeland Security, which heads numerous other agencies like the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), may receive critical training from these machines without waiting for a devastating disaster to strike.</p>
<p>The following infographic from <a href="http://safetymanagement.eku.edu/resources/infographics/how-the-department-of-homeland-security-can-use-virtual-reality-for-disaster-response-training/" target="_blank">Eastern Kentucky University</a> explains the potential benefits of using VR for disaster response training.</p>
<p><img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/57b348eace38f237008b70c7-800/virtual-reality-r1.png" alt="Virtual Reality R1" data-mce-source="Eastern Kentucky University" data-link="http://safetymanagement.eku.edu/resources/infographics/how-the-department-of-homeland-security-can-use-virtual-reality-for-disaster-response-training/"></p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/tilt-brush-virtual-reality-painting-htc-vive-2016-7" >Painting in virtual reality looks amazing</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/heres-one-way-virtual-reality-might-save-your-life-2016-8#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/veeso-virtual-reality-headset-video-2016-8">This VR headset transforms you into a Pixar-like character</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/truck-paves-road-faun-fastrack-2016-8This monster truck paves its own road anywherehttp://www.businessinsider.com/truck-paves-road-faun-fastrack-2016-8
Wed, 10 Aug 2016 11:56:25 -0400Rob Ludacer
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<p><a href="http://fauntrackway.co.uk/" target="_blank">Faun Fastrack</a><span> is an innovative machine that helps vehicles maneuver in desolated areas. It carries up to 50 feet of </span><a href="http://www.techinsider.io/road-building-machine-quickly-builds-brick-roads-2016-7">drivable road</a><span> spooled up. It backs over the unpaved ground, unraveling the spool, until </span><a href="http://www.techinsider.io/mclaren-p1-hypercar-revived-2016-6">the track is secure</a><span> on the ground for other vehicles. When </span><a href="http://www.techinsider.io/roads-to-drive-in-your-lifetime-2016-6">the road</a><span> is no longer needed, Fastrack rolls it back up and reuses it.</span></p>
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Wed, 20 Jul 2016 00:41:37 -0400Sam Rega
<p>For the past year and a half, Cleveland area hospitals prepared for over 50,000 people to arrive for the Republican National Convention. Hospitals including&nbsp;<a href="http://my.clevelandclinic.org/">Cleveland Clinic</a>, <a href="http://www.metrohealth.org/">MetroHealth</a>, <a href="https://www.stvincentcharity.com/">St. Vincent Charity Medical Center</a> and <a href="http://www.uhhospitals.org/">University Hospitals</a> stockpiled supplies and created safety preparations for all medical issues large and small.</p>
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Tue, 27 Oct 2015 16:48:13 -0400Matt Johnston
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<p class="embed-spacer">Scientists at Johns Hopkins University are finding amazing things by studying spider crickets.</p>
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Fri, 09 Oct 2015 08:53:47 -0400David Nye
<p class="ng-scope"><img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/55d71e849dd7cc1e008b4e89-2200-1467/rtrmeiz.jpg" alt="Refugees of Hurricane Katrina fill the floor of the Astrodome in Houston September 2, 2005. U.S." data-mce-source="Reuters/Richard Carson" data-mce-caption="Refugees of Hurricane Katrina fill the floor of the Astrodome in Houston September 2, 2005. U.S." /></p><p></p>
<p class="ng-scope">When natural disaster strikes at home or abroad, America usually sends its military to aid in rescue and recovery. Engineers, search and rescue, and logistics specialists pour into the area to save as many people as quickly as possible.</p>
<h3 class="ng-scope">&nbsp;</h3><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/niger-desert-north-gaddafi-years-in-power-2015-10" >Niger's desert north is a glimpse into the destructive brilliance of Gaddafi's 42 years in power</a></strong></p>
<h3>1. Troops are rushed to the area, usually via cargo aircraft.</h3>
<img src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/5617ae8a9dd7cc10008c0807-400-300/1-troops-are-rushed-to-the-area-usually-via-cargo-aircraft.jpg" alt="" />
<br/><br/><h3>2. In the crucial first hours, disaster survivors can be rescued from collapsed or flooded structures. Engineers carefully shore up crumbling buildings and cut through obstacles.</h3>
<img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/5617aedfbd86ef16008c08b9-400-300/2-in-the-crucial-first-hours-disaster-survivors-can-be-rescued-from-collapsed-or-floodedstructures-engineers-carefully-shore-up-crumbling-buildings-and-cut-through-obstacles.jpg" alt="" />
<br/><br/><h3>3. During hurricanes and tsunamis, there’s a good chance some survivors will have been swept to sea. Trained swimmers work to extract them.</h3>
<img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/5617af1f9dd7cc03308b53c0-400-300/3-during-hurricanes-and-tsunamis-theres-a-good-chance-some-survivors-will-have-been-swept-to-sea-trained-swimmers-work-to-extract-them.jpg" alt="" />
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Tue, 01 Sep 2015 09:10:00 -0400Rob Ludacer
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<p>Coastal cities could see a rise in sea levels by as much as 4 ft by the end of the century. To help put a visual to the number, artist <a href="http://nickolaylamm.com/">Nickolay Lamm</a> created this <a href="https://www.storagefront.com/therentersbent/what-will-sea-level-rise-look-like-in-real-life">series of simulations of West Coast city landmarks</a> as affected by sea levels rising 5, 12 and 25 feet. Using <a href="http://sealevel.climatecentral.org/">Climate Central</a>'s sea level rise maps, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/us-city-sea-level-rise-maps-by-nickolay-lamm-2014-5">Lamm imagines recognizable locales</a> such as Venice Beach, San Francisco, and San Diego with catastrophic flooding. </p>
<p><em>Produced by <a href="http://www.techinsider.io/author/rob-ludacer">Rob Ludacer</a></em></p>
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Tue, 04 Aug 2015 10:33:00 -0400Rob Ludacer
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<p>Coastal cities could see a rise in sea levels by as much as 4 ft by the end of the century. To help put a visual to the number, artist <a href="http://nickolaylamm.com/">Nickolay Lamm</a> created this <a href="https://www.storagefront.com/therentersbent/what-will-sea-level-rise-look-like-in-real-life">series of simulations of US city landmarks</a> as affected by sea levels rising 5, 12 and 25 feet. Using <a href="http://sealevel.climatecentral.org/">Climate Central</a>'s sea level rise maps, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/us-city-sea-level-rise-maps-by-nickolay-lamm-2014-5">Lamm imagines recognizable locales</a> such as Venice Beach CA, Miami Beach FL, and Boston Harbor with catastrophic flooding.</p>
<p><em> </em><em style="line-height: 1.5em;">Produced by <a href="http://www.techinsider.io/author/rob-ludacer">Rob Ludacer</a></em></p>
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Wed, 27 May 2015 16:04:00 -0400Drake Baer
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><img style="float:right;" src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/553a85dc69bedd2213439041-600-/bill-gates-192.jpg" border="0" alt="Bill gates" width="600" style="float: right;">You would think that Bill Gates, the ever-so-friendly richest man in the world, wouldn't be afraid of much. </span></p>
<p>But as <a href="http://www.vox.com/2015/5/27/8660249/gates-flu-pandemic" target="_blank">he recently told Ezra Klein at Vox</a>, he does have some major fears for humanity. </p>
<p>"I rate the chance of a nuclear war within my lifetime as being fairly low," says Gates. <span style="line-height: 1.5em;">"I rate the chance of a widespread epidemic, far worse than Ebola, in my lifetime, as well over 50%." </span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Gates is 59 years old. </span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">So that means an outbreak of sorts is possibly coming in the next few decades. </span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">It's especially terrifying, Gates says, given the way we reacted to the last epidemic: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/what-makes-ebola-virus-so-deadly-2014-10" target="_blank">The Ebola outbreak of last year showed</a> how unready the world is for dealing with infectious disease. </span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">The last widespread killer epidemic was the Spanish Flu. <a href="https://virus.stanford.edu/uda/" target="_blank">Between 1918 and 1919, it killed between 20 million and 40 million people worldwide — more than World War I</a>. </span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">What's even more frightening, Gates says, is that we don't even know where the Spanish Flu came from — it was just called the "Spanish Flu" because the press in Spain were the first to report on it. </span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">In many ways, we're even more vulnerable to an infectious catastrophe today. Gates tells Vox that according to his modeling, 50 times more people cross borders today than they did back in 1918. </span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Because of that and other factors, Gates estimates that <strong>the next Spanish flu-like epidemic could kill 33 million humans in 250 days.</strong> That number of people would be about equal to<strong> </strong><a href="https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2119rank.html" target="_blank">the population of Canada.</a><br></span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">"We've created, in terms of spread, the most dangerous environment that we've ever had in the history of mankind," <a href="http://www.vox.com/2015/5/27/8660249/gates-flu-pandemic" target="_blank">Gates tells Vox</a>.</span></p>
<p><em><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Watch the entire video interview below and <a href="http://www.vox.com/2015/5/27/8660249/gates-flu-pandemic" target="_blank">read the full feature story here</a>. </span></em></p>
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<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> </span></p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/bill-gates-biggest-fear-is-a-killer-flu-2015-5#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-users-donated-10-million-to-nepal-2015-4Facebook users have donated $10 million to relief efforts in Nepal in just two dayshttp://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-users-donated-10-million-to-nepal-2015-4
Thu, 30 Apr 2015 16:22:36 -0400Madeline Stone
<p>Facebook users have raised a whopping $10 million for those affected by the earthquake in Nepal, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10102060884238261&amp;set=a.612287952871.2204760.4&amp;type=1&amp;theater">Mark Zuckerberg said</a> in a post Thursday.&nbsp;</p>
<p>If you logged onto Facebook sometime in the past two days, you might have gotten this message encouraging you to donate to the International Medical Corps.&nbsp;<img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/55428a79eab8eac63cefd3b4-1200-924/facebook-nepal.png" border="0" alt="facebook nepal"></p>
<p>According to Zuckerberg, more than 500,000 people donated to relief efforts in Nepal after seeing the message at the top of their Facebook News Feed. Their donations totaled more than $10 million.</p>
<p>Facebook itself will donate an additonal $2 million to local recovery efforts.&nbsp;</p>
<p>"It is inspiring to see our community coming together to help people in their time of need," Zuckerberg <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10102060884238261&amp;set=a.612287952871.2204760.4&amp;type=1&amp;theater">wrote</a>. "We're grateful to be serving you, and for all your efforts to support those affected by the Nepal earthquake."</p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/nepal-earthquake-death-toll-2015-4">More than 5,000 people</a> have died since a 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit Nepal on April 25, though aid workers expect that number to rise dramatically.</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-tech-giants-are-aiding-nepal-2015-4" >How tech giants like Apple, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook are aiding Nepal</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-users-donated-10-million-to-nepal-2015-4#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/video-earthquake-damage-nepal-2015-4">Stunning video shows the earthquake damage across Nepal</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/help-arrives-in-nepal-after-a-massive-earthquake-killed-thousands-2015-4Death toll climbs past 2,200 after worst Nepal earthquake in 80 yearshttp://www.businessinsider.com/help-arrives-in-nepal-after-a-massive-earthquake-killed-thousands-2015-4
Sun, 26 Apr 2015 09:24:00 -0400Binaj Gurubacharya and Muneeza Naqvi
<p><img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/553c89ac6bb3f79950b4e3d8-1200-600/nepal-earthquake-11.jpg" border="0" alt="Nepal earthquake"></p><p>KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Sleeping in the streets and shell-shocked, Nepalese cremated the dead and dug through rubble for the missing Sunday, a day after a massive Himalayan earthquake killed more than 2,200 people. Aftershocks tormented them, making buildings sway and sending panicked Kathmandu residents running into the streets.</p>
<p>The cawing of crows mixed with terrified screams as the worst of the aftershocks — magnitude 6.7 — pummeled the capital city. It came as planeloads of supplies, doctors and relief workers from neighboring countries began arriving in this poor Himalayan nation. No deaths or injuries were reported from the early Sunday afternoon quake, but it took an emotional toll.</p>
<p>"The aftershocks keep coming ... so people don't know what to expect," said Sanjay Karki, Nepal country head for global aid agency Mercy Corps. "All the open spaces in Kathmandu are packed with people who are camping outdoors. When the aftershocks come you cannot imagine the fear. You can hear women and children crying."</p>
<p><img src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/553c8a11ecad04af1bed9fb4-1200-924/nepal earthquake_mill.jpg" border="0" alt="Nepal Earthquake">Saturday's magnitude 7.8 earthquake spread horror from Kathmandu to small villages and to the slopes of Mount Everest, triggering an avalanche that buried part of the base camp packed with foreign climbers preparing to make their summit attempts. At least 17 people died there and 61 were injured.</p>
<p>The earthquake centered outside Kathmandu, the capital, was the worst to hit the South Asian nation in over 80 years. It destroyed swaths of the oldest neighborhoods of Kathmandu, and was strong enough to be felt all across parts of India, Bangladesh, China's region of Tibet and Pakistan.</p>
<p>By Sunday afternoon, authorities said at least 2,169 people had died in Nepal alone, with 61 more deaths in India and a few in other neighboring countries. At least 721 of them died in Kathmandu alone, and the number of injured nationwide was upward of 5,000. With search and rescue efforts far from over, it was unclear how much the death toll would rise.</p>
<p>But outside of the oldest neighborhoods, many in Kathmandu were surprised by how few modern structures — the city is largely a collection of small, poorly constructed brick apartment buildings — collapsed in the quake. While aid workers cautioned that many buildings could have sustained serious structural damage, it was also clear that the death toll would have been far higher had more buildings caved in.</p>
<p><img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/553c8a75ecad041613ed9fb2-1200-800/aptopix nepal earthqu_mill-3.jpg" border="0" alt="Nepal earthquake">Aid workers also warned that the situation could be far worse near the epicenter. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake was centered near Lamjung, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) northwest of Kathmandu, in the Gorkha district.</p>
<p>Roads to that area were blocked by landslides, hindering rescue teams, said chief district official Prakash Subedi. Teams were trekking through mountain trails to reach remote villages, and helicopters would also be deployed, he said by telephone.</p>
<p>Local aid worker Matt Darvas said in a statement issued by his group, World Vision, that he heard that many remote mountain villages near the epicenter may have been completely buried by rock falls.</p>
<p>The villages "are literally perched on the sides of large mountain faces and are made from simple stone and rock construction," Darvas said. "Many of these villages are only accessible by 4WD and then foot, with some villages hours and even entire days' walks away from main roads at the best of times."</p>
<p><img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/553c8b14ecad04e31aed9fb5-1200-800/nepal everest interne_mill.jpg" border="0" alt="Nepal Everest earthquake">Nepal's worst recorded earthquake in 1934 measured 8.0 and all but destroyed the cities of Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Patan.</p>
<p>With people fearing more quakes, tens of thousands of Nepalese spent Saturday night outside under chilly skies, or in cars and public buses. They were jolted awake by strong aftershocks early Sunday.</p>
<p>"There were at least three big quakes at night and early morning. How can we feel safe? This is never-ending and everyone is scared and worried," said Kathmandu resident Sundar Sah. "I hardly got much sleep. I was waking up every few hours and glad that I was alive."</p>
<p>As day broke, rescuers aided by international teams set out to dig through rubble of buildings — concrete slabs, bricks, iron beams, wood — to look for survivors.</p>
<p><img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/553c8ba06da811d0210fe10b-1200-750/rtx1aaic.jpg" border="0" alt="Nepal earthquake">In the Kalanki neighborhood of Kathmandu, police rescuers finally extricated a man lying under a dead body, both of them buried beneath a pile of concrete slabs and iron beams. Before his rescue, his family members stood nearby, crying and praying. Police said the man's legs and hips were totally crushed.</p>
<p>Hundreds of people in Kalanki gathered around the collapsed Lumbini Guest House, once a three-story budget hotel and restaurant frequented by Nepalese. They watched with fear and anticipation as a single backhoe dug into the rubble.</p>
<p><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/553ce6bc6bb3f7a86bcf6f58-1200-924/nepal-earthquake-victim-rescue-workers-wreckage.jpg" border="0" alt="Nepal Earthquake Victim Rescue Workers Wreckage">Police officer RP Dhamala, who was coordinating the rescue efforts, said they had already pulled out 12 people alive and six dead. He said rescuers were still searching for about 20 people believed to be trapped, but had heard no cries, taps or noises for a while.</p>
<p>Most areas were without power and water. The United Nations said hospitals in the Kathmandu Valley were overcrowded, and running out of emergency supplies and space to store corpses.</p>
<p>Plumes of smoke, meanwhile, rose above the capital as friends, relatives and others gathered by the river to quickly cremate loved ones' remains.</p>
<p><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/553c8c426bb3f73d51b4e3df-1200-924/aptopix nepal earthqu_mill-4.jpg" border="0" alt="Nepal earthquake">Most shops in Kathmandu were shut; only fruit vendors and pharmacies seemed to be doing business.</p>
<p>"More people are coming now," fruit seller Shyam Jaiswal said. "They cannot cook so they need to buy something they can eat raw."</p>
<p>Jaiswal said stocks were running out, and more shipments were not expected for at least a week, but added, "We are not raising prices. That would be illegal, immoral profit."</p>
<p>The quake will likely put a huge strain on the resources of this impoverished country best known for Everest, the highest mountain in the world. The economy of Nepal, a nation of 27.8 million people, relies heavily on tourism, principally trekking and Himalayan mountain climbing.</p>
<p>With Kathmandu airport reopened, the first aid flights began delivering aid supplies. The first to respond were Nepal's neighbors — India, China and Pakistan, all of which have been jockeying for influence over the landlocked nation. Nepal remains closest to India, with which it shares deep political, cultural and religious ties.</p>
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/553c8dc769bedd971d9c0c8f-515-662/nepal earthquake map.jpg" border="0" alt="nepal earthquake map">India suffered its own losses from the quake, with at least 61 people killed there and dozens injured. Sunday's aftershock was also widely felt in the country, and local news reports said metro trains in New Delhi and Kolkata were briefly shut down when the shaking started.</p>
<p>Other countries sending support Sunday included the United Arab Emirates, Germany and France.</p>
<p>After the chaos of Saturday — when little organized rescue and relief was seen — there was more order on Sunday as rescue teams fanned out across the city.</p>
<p>Workers were sending out tents and relief goods in trucks and helicopters and setting up shelters, said disaster management official Rameshwar Dangal. Mukesh Kafle, the head of the Nepal Electricity Authority, said power was restored to main government offices, the airport and hospitals.</p>
<p>Among the destroyed buildings in Kathmandu was the nine-story Dharahara Tower, a Kathmandu landmark built by Nepal's royal rulers as a watchtower in the 1800s and a UNESCO-recognized historical monument. It was reduced to rubble and there were reports of people trapped underneath.</p>
<p><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/553c8e4769beddce189c0c94-1200-800/aptopix nepal earthqu_mill-5.jpg" border="0" alt="Nepal earthquake">The Kathmandu Valley is listed as a World Heritage site. The Buddhist stupas, public squares and Hindu temples are some of the most well-known sites in Kathmandu, and now some of the most deeply mourned.</p>
<p>Nepali journalist and author Shiwani Neupane tweeted: "The sadness is sinking in. We have lost our temples, our history, the places we grew up."</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/google-executive-dan-fredinburg-killed-on-everest-2015-4#ixzz3YOewffhz" >Google executive among those killed on Everest after massive Nepal earthquake</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/help-arrives-in-nepal-after-a-massive-earthquake-killed-thousands-2015-4#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/what-happens-after-black-widow-spider-bite-poison-2015-4">Here's what happens when you get bitten by a black widow</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/researchers-use-tweets-to-map-those-in-need-of-aid-during-natural-disasters-2015-4Researchers could use tweets to create maps of those in need of aid during natural disastershttp://www.businessinsider.com/researchers-use-tweets-to-map-those-in-need-of-aid-during-natural-disasters-2015-4
Thu, 23 Apr 2015 12:39:38 -0400Megan Rowling
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/5332f833ecad04c44f86ebb5-1200-800/jakartaflood.jpg" border="0" alt="jakartaflood"></p><p>Spontaneous tweets about major floods are being turned into a mapping tool that could be used by emergency services and disaster response teams to save lives and provide aid, Dutch researchers said.</p>
<p>When a crisis strikes, people increasingly find out about it from social media, as individuals and groups take to the internet to spread the word.</p>
<p>After the Indonesian capital Jakarta was hit by floods this February, related tweets peaked at almost 900 a minute, with a significant number including information about location and water depth, according to a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.deltares.nl/en/news/twitter-used-to-create-real-time-flood-maps/" target="_blank">joint study</a>&nbsp;by two Dutch organisations, Deltares and Floodtags.</p>
<p>The team then analysed the thousands of tweets - and others from similar flooding a year earlier - to derive a method for creating real-time flood maps based on Twitter messages, statistics and data on land elevation and water motion.</p>
<p>"This method is really fast," Deltares flood expert Dirk Eilander told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. "It can produce a map within around a minute of messages being posted."</p>
<p>Jakarta has some gauges that measure water levels, but there is no network that can give an overview of flooding street by street. Many tweets, on the other hand, contained detailed information about how many centimetres deep the water was at particular spots, Eilander said.</p>
<p>Because observations by ordinary people tend to be rough estimates, the data need to be filtered, enriched, validated and transformed into easily interpretable maps that can be used by disaster managers.</p>
<p>When the researchers compared their results with photographs of the Jakarta floods at more than 100 points, they found they had modelled the floods correctly in around two thirds of them and in three quarters of districts.</p>
<p>"Although there is still some room for improvement, these maps are very useful information for emergency services to ... find the people who are affected or to plan for evacuation routes," Eilander told journalists at a geosciences conference in Vienna where the research was presented on Tuesday.</p>
<p>The maps could also be used to help speed up recovery work after a disaster or to identify flood-prone areas that would benefit from protection, Eilander added.</p>
<p>The project has yet to be put into practice to support flood response, but there are plans to disseminate the information via the Floodtags website.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.floodtags.com/" target="_blank">Floodtags</a>&nbsp;is a social enterprise that uses social media to monitor floods.</p>
<p>Analysis is also being carried out on tweets about floods in Serbia.</p>
<p>Deltares, an independent research institute, said the method could be scaled easily for any place in the world with enough Twitter activity - most likely in urban areas where there tends to be a high concentration of social media users.</p>
<p>"Everywhere that people tweet about floods, there are observations that could be used," Eilander said.</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-flooding-in-madagascars-capital-kills-14-uproots-thousands-2015-2#ixzz3Y9Met4dE" >Flooding in Madagascar's capital kills 14, uproots thousands </a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/researchers-use-tweets-to-map-those-in-need-of-aid-during-natural-disasters-2015-4#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/calbuco-volcano-erupts-chile-evacuation-2015-4">Video of volcano eruption in Chile is both terrifying and beautiful</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/the-red-cross-own-employees-doubt-the-charitys-ethics-2014-11The Red Cross’ Own Employees Doubt The Charity’s Ethicshttp://www.businessinsider.com/the-red-cross-own-employees-doubt-the-charitys-ethics-2014-11
Thu, 13 Nov 2014 13:59:04 -0500Justin Elliott
<p><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"><img style="float:right;" src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/5464f8f16bb3f7b26ec7e887-600-399/gail mcgovern.jpg" border="0" alt="gail mcgovern">A survey of American Red Cross employees shows a crisis of trust in the charity's leadership and deep internal doubts about the Red Cross' commitment to ethical conduct.</span></p>
<p>A summary of the survey results, <a href="http://www.propublica.org/documents/item/1356132-red-cross-survey.html">obtained by ProPublica and NPR</a>, was released internally in September. The survey was completed by a bit more than half of the Red Cross' roughly 25,000 employees.</p>
<p>In response to the statement, "I trust the senior leadership of the American Red Cross," just 39 percent responded favorably.</p>
<p>In response to the statement, "The American Red Cross shows a commitment to ethical business decisions and conduct," 61 percent responded favorably. That means about 4 in 10 respondents doubt the ethics of the venerable charity.</p>
<p>"Candidly, the results could have been stronger," Chief Executive Gail McGovern acknowledged in <a href="http://www.propublica.org/documents/item/1356122-gail-mcgovern-survey-response.html">an email</a> to employees. She also called the Red Cross' score on ethics "very high" and identified ethics as one of "our strengths."</p>
<p>During McGovern's six-year tenure, the charity has faced periodic budget deficits and is in the midst of the latest in a series of layoffs. The Red Cross has seen shrinking revenue from its blood business and rising pension costs. In the last year, the charity's fundraising efforts have dwindled without a large national disaster to help bring in donations. The charity finished its last fiscal year with a <a href="http://www.propublica.org/documents/item/1348173-ceo-gail-mcgovern-email-on-red-cross-deficit.html">$70 million deficit</a> and 1,200 workers are expected to lose their jobs over the next year.</p>
<p><img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/53b0ccd16bb3f7bf48879d26-1200-800/8129484338_d367e5bbe2_k.jpg" border="0" alt="red cross "><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Also, ProPublica and NPR reported last month that officials who helped lead the charity's response to Superstorm Sandy and Hurricane Isaac believed they were </span><a href="http://www.propublica.org/article/the-red-cross-secret-disaster">undermined by senior leadership</a><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">. Resources were diverted for public relations purposes by national headquarters, hurting the relief efforts. Internal assessments concluded the charity wasn't prepared to effectively respond to a large storm.</span></p>
<p>Current and former officials said the Red Cross' relief efforts also suffered from <a href="http://www.propublica.org/article/the-red-cross-secret-disaster">attrition in its ranks</a> of experienced volunteer disaster responders, many driven away by a series of reorganizations by McGovern, who has moved to centralize decision-making.</p>
<p>The employee survey, <a href="http://www-01.ibm.com/common/ssi/cgi-bin/ssialias?subtype=SP&amp;infotype=PM&amp;appname=SWGE_LO_PT_USEN&amp;htmlfid=LOD14083USEN&amp;attachment=LOD14083USEN.PDF">which was conducted by IBM</a>, notes that other companies scored better on the questions about trust. About 20 percent of respondents at other companies expressed concern about their organization's ethics, compared with nearly 40 percent for the Red Cross survey.</p>
<p><img src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/5464f9cf6da811435f3f3293-840-488/20141113-red-cross-survey-630.jpg" border="0" alt="20141113 red cross survey 630"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Asked about the survey, Red Cross spokeswoman Suzy DeFrancis said it was the first of its kind for the charity.</span></p>
<p>"It is regrettable that you are taking work that we are doing to improve employee engagement and using it to criticize us," DeFrancis wrote in an email. DeFrancis' declined to comment on McGovern's characterization of the survey.</p>
<p>The survey suggests that the layoffs and reorganization have taken their toll on the morale of the Red Cross' paid staff. Just 35 percent said they "feel supported during organizational change" at the charity.</p>
<p>The survey also shows that employees are proud to be associated with the Red Cross itself, apart from the current leadership: 83 percent of respondents said they were proud to work at the charity.</p>
<p>But most of the survey respondents do not believe the Red Cross has a bright future.</p>
<p>In response to the statement, "The senior leadership of the American Red Cross has communicated a vision of the future that motivates me," 39 percent responded favorably. That compares with an average 61 percent of respondents from other companies in response to the same question.</p>
<p>And just 42 percent responded favorably to the statement, "I believe the American Red Cross has an outstanding future."</p>
<p><em>Can you help us with our <a href="http://www.propublica.org/series/red-cross">Red Cross reporting</a>?&nbsp;Learn how to <a href="http://www.propublica.org/getinvolved/item/help-us-report-on-the-american-red-cross">share a tip</a>&nbsp;or email <a href="mailto:justin@propublica.org">justin@propublica.org</a>.</em></p>
<p><em>ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for their <a href="http://www.propublica.org/forms/newsletter_daily_email">newsletter</a></em>.</p>
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://pixel.propublica.org/pixel.js" async=""></script><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-red-cross-own-employees-doubt-the-charitys-ethics-2014-11#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/this-new-earthquake-app-could-save-your-life-2014-11This New App Can Alert You If An Earthquake Is Cominghttp://www.businessinsider.com/this-new-earthquake-app-could-save-your-life-2014-11
Thu, 13 Nov 2014 05:26:00 -0500Joshua Barrie
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/54648795dd089595788b45dc-900-675/chieko-chiba-tsunami-earthquake-destruction-devastation-distraught-depressed-bad-news-horrible-kesennuma-miyagi-japan-best-of-year-2011-getty.jpg" border="0" alt="chieko chiba, tsunami, earthquake, destruction, devastation, distraught, depressed, bad news, horrible, kesennuma miyagi japan, best of year 2011, getty"></p><p>Earthquakes are harder to detect than hurricanes or volcanoes and often strike without warning. This is particularly troublesome in developing countries that can't afford any kind of early earthquake detection system.</p>
<p>But a new smartphone app is being developed at the University of California that could revolutionise the way people respond to earthquakes and save lives, the <a href="http://alumni.berkeley.edu/california-magazine/just-in/2014-08-26/earthquake-alert-app-way">Cal Alumni Association reports</a>.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The MyShake app is the work of&nbsp;<span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Richard Allen, director of the </span><a href="http://seismo.berkeley.edu/">Berkeley Seismological Laboratory,</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> which focuses on sensors and communication devices for train operators, nuclear power plants, and other crucial sectors.</span></p>
<p>The technology was <a href="http://www.scidev.net/global/disasters/scidev-net-at-large/bleep-bleep-an-earthquake-is-two-minutes-away.html">unveiled at the World Science Forum in 2013</a>. In particular, the team&nbsp;behind the project notes how it could benefit those in countries that can't afford earthquake detection systems as well as those living in risky areas like California who simply want to be better equipped.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The app works using something called the accelerometer, <a href="http://www.scidev.net/global/disasters/scidev-net-at-large/bleep-bleep-an-earthquake-is-two-minutes-away.html">says SciDev</a>, which is a sensor that measures the speed of smartphone movement, alongside GPS to identify tremors.&nbsp;</p>
<p><a href="http://www.scidev.net/global/disasters/scidev-net-at-large/bleep-bleep-an-earthquake-is-two-minutes-away.html">SciDev writes</a>:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span>According to Allen smartphones can currently detect earthquakes of magnitude 5 at up to 10 kilometres from a quake’s epicentre. With improvement in the quality of accelerometers, they will be able to detect magnitude 3 quakes at 100 kilometres in the not too distant future.</span></p>
<p>At the moment, earthquake apps, <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/earthquake-by-american-red/id557946227?mt=8">such as the Red Cross'</a>, simply transfer alerts to smartphones after they've been picked up by the authorities.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Allen told the forum the system has "enormous potential" and believes that with one billion smartphones worldwide, it will grant improved safety to the masses.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Testing is underway and MyShake will be free once released in full.&nbsp;<a href="http://berkeleysciencereview.com/article/shake-n-quake/">The Berkeley Science Review reports</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> students on the university campus are trialling it and Qingkai Kong, who's working on the development, says it could&nbsp;</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">“open up a whole new world in seismology.”</span></p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/this-new-earthquake-app-could-save-your-life-2014-11#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/red-cross-says-disasters-killed-22000-2014-10There Were 22,000 People Killed By Natural Disasters In 2013, The Lowest In A Decadehttp://www.businessinsider.com/red-cross-says-disasters-killed-22000-2014-10
Wed, 15 Oct 2014 20:36:47 -0400AFP
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/543f8381eab8ea5240f582cd-800-/typhone-hayan.jpg" border="0" alt="Typhone Hayan" width="800"></p><p>Geneva (AFP) - Natural disasters claimed over 22,000 lives last year, with Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines the deadliest of all, the Red Cross said Thursday.</p>
<p>In its annual report on disasters, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) warned that the outlook was bleak.</p>
<p>"Climate change is leading to damaged livelihoods and increased vulnerabilities. Natural hazards are also becoming more frequent and extreme," said IFRC head Elhadj As Sy.</p>
<p>"The resulting stresses on social, physical and economic systems are shifting the world into a new era of risk," he added.</p>
<p>Haiyan, which struck in November 2013, slammed a massive storm surge into the city of Tacloban and surrounding communities in the eastern province of Leyte.</p>
<p>At least 7,986 perished, the IFRC said.</p>
<p>The next-deadliest disaster was the June 2013 monsoon flooding in India, which killed 6,054 people.</p>
<p>Last year's overall natural disaster death toll was 22,452, the IFRC said.</p>
<p>That was well under the 2004-2013 average of 97,954 per year.</p>
<p>It was also far below the decade's peak year, 2004, when 242,829 people perished, mostly in the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.</p>
<p>The number of people affected by disasters in 2013 -- almost 100 million, overwhelmingly in Asia -- was also the lowest in a decade.</p>
<p>But the report's lead editor Terry Cannon said tolls were only part of the story.</p>
<p>"Major hazards and disasters are distributed randomly. So comparing year-on-year in a data set like this is not very useful," he said.</p>
<p>What tolls can reveal, however, is a country's ability to head off catastrophe.</p>
<p>For example, 36 people died when Cyclone Phailin hit India in October 2013.</p>
<p>Thousands of lives were saved thanks to a widely-praised risk reduction programme which included pre-planned evacuation, repeated this week when Cyclone Hudhud struck.</p>
<p><strong>More people in harm's way</strong></p>
<p>Rapid economic shifts, population growth and urbanization in developing nations are putting more people in harm's way, while experts warn that climate change driven by emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases is causing more frequent extreme weather events.</p>
<p>Besides thinking up risk reduction plans, governments and aid agencies need to make more effort to understand the lives of people in danger zones, said Cannon.</p>
<p>"The vast majority of people do not die or suffer in disasters. They suffer because of the problems of everyday life, whether it's bad water, poor nutrition, or bad health," he said.</p>
<p>"People don't give priority to severe hazards. They will highlight their day-to-day problems, health, malaria, water supply, not enough food, not enough jobs," he added.</p>
<p>The report said that estimated economic damage in 2013, at $119 billion, was the fourth-lowest in a decade.</p>
<p>However, financial totals do not show the full picture either.</p>
<p>Developed countries traditionally see the most expensive single disasters in terms of losses and insurance claims, given their wealthier economies and extensive insurance penetration.</p>
<p>In 2011, for example, when Japan was battered by a massive earthquake and tsunami, estimated global disaster losses rocketed to $391 billion.</p>
<p>The situation in poorer countries is less clear, notably if a disaster does not strike industrial areas, and because insurance coverage is far less widespread.</p>
<p>"The damage to things that are valued in dollars can be very small. What you have to measure is the loss of livelihoods, of millions of people's livelihoods, fishing boats, their nets, their villages, their houses," said Cannon.</p>
<p>"They are not measured in dollar terms, they're not insured, they're not even counted in the international statistics," he said.&nbsp;</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/red-cross-hurricane-sandy-response-2012-11" >RED CROSS: We Can't Get There That Fast When There's Flooding And Broken Infrastructure</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/red-cross-says-disasters-killed-22000-2014-10#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/10-shocking-photos-earthquake-in-china-2014-810 Devastating Photos Of Destruction Caused By The Earthquake In Chinahttp://www.businessinsider.com/10-shocking-photos-earthquake-in-china-2014-8
Mon, 04 Aug 2014 17:23:00 -0400Christian Storm
<p><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/53dfe35decad042420f4aa02-1200-858/rtr415mv.jpg" border="0" alt="China Earthquake"></p><p>Yesterday, a 6.3-magnitude earthquake ripped through a remote, mountainous area of China's Yunnan province. <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/china-earthquake-death-toll-tops-390-as-rescuers-comb-through-rubble-1.2726849" target="_blank">Reports</a> estimate the death toll to be around 390, and that number will potentially rise as workers dig through the rubble.&nbsp;</p>
<h3>The quake had the deadliest effects in Yunnan, but was was felt in the bordering provinces of&nbsp;Guizhou and Sichuan as well.&nbsp;<img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/53dfe3866da8119d3a746931-1200-800/rtr4156j.jpg" border="0" alt="China Earthquake">Yunnan's Ludian county, especially the town of Longtoushan, was the most devastated. It was&nbsp;<a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/china-earthquake-death-toll-tops-390-as-rescuers-comb-through-rubble-1.2726849" target="_blank">reported</a> that a large portion of its buildings had collapsed.<img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/53dfe35cecad04dd1ef4aa08-1200-800/rtr415eu.jpg" border="0" alt="China Earthquake">China has dispatched <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-28635027" target="_blank">2,500 troops</a> to assist in the rescue efforts, which have been hindered by heavy rains and mud slides in the area.&nbsp;President Xi Jinping requested an "all-out effort" to find trapped citizens and save lives.<img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/53dfe35deab8ea555591e9ec-1200-800/rtr4154j.jpg" border="0" alt="China Earthquake">Multiple lower magnitude aftershocks were recorded. Because of the remoteness of the areas, as well as the inclement weather, some communities in need are still cut off from outside help.<img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/53dfe35d6da811983a746932-1200-800/rtr41444.jpg" border="0" alt="China Earthquake">This certainly isn't the first time the area has been hit by devastating earthquakes. Less than a year ago, a 5.1-magnitude earthquake near the same area occurred, luckily with many fewer casualties. However, in April 2008, a <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-22398684" target="_blank">7.8-magnitude earthquake</a> in China's Sichuan province took the lives of almost 90,000 people.<img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/53dfe8c469bedd891be2ba56-1200-800/453141670.jpg" border="0" alt="China Earthquake">The&nbsp;Yunnan Civil Affairs Bureau is estimating that 1,800 people may be injured due to this most recent quake.<img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/53dfe35ceab8eab85591e9eb-1200-750/rtr415lq.jpg" border="0" alt="China Earthquake">Because of the rural location of the quake, many of the structures were made of less strong and substantial material, making them much more likely to collapse, according to <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/03/world/asia/china-earthquake/" target="_blank">CNN</a>.<img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/53dfe35d6bb3f7a23fdbe288-1200-800/rtr4158f.jpg" border="0" alt="China Earthquake">US National Security Council deputy spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan offered her condolences, saying, "Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those that lost their lives. The United States stands ready to&nbsp;assist."<img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/53dfe35c6da811953a746933-1200-800/rtr4134j.jpg" border="0" alt="China Earthquake">It has been estimated that some 42,000 homes were damaged, 12,000 of them being <a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Latest-News-Wires/2014/0804/China-earthquake-12-000-homes-collapse-hundreds-dead" target="_blank">completely destroyed</a>.<img src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/53dfe35decad042320f4aa03-1200-800/rtr4154m.jpg" border="0" alt="China Earthquake"></h3><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/nearly-400-dead-after-earthquake-rips-through-southern-china-2014-8" >Nearly 400 Dead After Earthquake Rips Through Southern China</a></strong></p>
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<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/10-shocking-photos-earthquake-in-china-2014-8#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/russian-models-pose-with-bear-2015-4">Two models in Russia just posed with a 1,400-pound bear</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/how-the-red-cross-spent-hurricane-sandy-money-2014-6The Red Cross Says Hurricane Sandy Funding Is A 'Trade Secret'http://www.businessinsider.com/how-the-red-cross-spent-hurricane-sandy-money-2014-6
Mon, 30 Jun 2014 06:03:00 -0400Mary Emily O’Hara
<p><span><img style="float:right;" src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/53b0ccd16bb3f7bf48879d26-1200-800/8129484338_d367e5bbe2_k.jpg" border="0" alt="red cross " />A year and a half after&nbsp;<a href="https://news.vice.com/topic/hurricane-sandy">Hurricane Sandy</a>&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6220a1.htm" target="_blank">killed</a><span>&nbsp;117 East Coast residents and caused tens of thousands to become homeless, people are still asking the American Red Cross where the money went.</span></p>
<p>The investigative reporting team at ProPublica&nbsp;<a href="http://www.propublica.org/article/red-cross-how-we-spent-sandy-money-is-a-trade-secret?google_editors_picks=true" target="_blank">recently filed</a>&nbsp;a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the state of New York to find out exactly how the Red Cross spent the $311.5 million the organization raised for Sandy relief efforts.</p>
<p>Earlier this week, ProPublica&nbsp;<a href="http://www.propublica.org/article/red-cross-how-we-spent-sandy-money-is-a-trade-secret" target="_blank">reported</a>&nbsp;that the Red Cross had hired the Gibson Dunn law firm to try and block the FOIA request, and that New York Assistant Attorney General Bruce D. Feldman had partially acquiesced to the block.</p>
<p>Why? Because the Red Cross&rsquo;s financial records constitute a &ldquo;trade secret,&rdquo; according to&nbsp;<a href="https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.documentcloud.org/documents/1204491/89-5-determination-lt-to-gibson-dunn-requestor.pdf" target="_blank">Feldman&rsquo;s June 23 letter</a>&nbsp;to the law firm.</p>
<p>Red Cross spokeswoman Melanie Kozel told VICE News that the vast majority organization's 25-page July 29, 2013 letter to the New York Attorney General is being released and details their response efforts following Superstorm Sandy.</p>
<p>"We sought to keep confidential a small part of the letter that provided proprietary information important to maintaining our ability to raise funds and fulfill our mission," said Kozel.</p>
<p>Ben Smilowitz of the Disaster Accountability Project explained how a public non-profit charity can argue that their spending records are a trade secret.</p>
<p>&ldquo;They&rsquo;re using the term &lsquo;trade secret&rsquo; pretty liberally,&rdquo; Smilowitz said. &ldquo;They even said the term Red Cross is a trade secret, which is like throwing &lsquo;trade secret&rsquo; around as if you don&rsquo;t know what it means.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Smilowitz started the watchdog group after his volunteer job managing a Red Cross center in Mississippi in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina left him frustrated.</p>
<p>Gibson Dunn had submitted 108 pages of documents in response to the Attorney General&rsquo;s request, but argued that public release of the documents &ldquo;could cause substantial competitive and other injury to the American Red Cross.&rdquo; The law firm highlighted portions of the documents they said needed to remain confidential.</p>
<p>In response, the Attorney General&rsquo;s office agreed to redact some portions, but not others. One of the things Gibson Dunn wanted hidden, bizarrely, was a header at the top of the page reading &ldquo;American Red Cross.&rdquo;</p>
<p>&ldquo;I find that the Red Cross has not demonstrated why this two line title is entitled to trade secret protection; without more, I cannot find that disclosure of this two line title will cause the Red Cross any economic injury,&rdquo; Feldman wrote in the&nbsp;<a href="https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.documentcloud.org/documents/1204491/89-5-determination-lt-to-gibson-dunn-requestor.pdf" target="_blank">letter</a>.</p>
<p>The Red Cross has seven business days to appeal the Attorney General&rsquo;s plan to publish the redacted documents. ProPublica, which requested the records, can also appeal the redactions.</p>
<h2>Where Did the Money Go?</h2>
<p>Red Cross spokeswoman Kozel told VICE News, &ldquo;As of May 31, the Red Cross has spent or made commitments to spend $301 million, which is nearly 97 percent of the $311.5 million in donations we have received for our Sandy work.&rdquo;</p>
<p>The Red Cross published its breakdown of the funds as of May 2014 on its website.</p>
<p>According to a pie chart of &ldquo;<a href="http://www.redcross.org/support/donating-fundraising/where-your-money-goes/sandy-response" target="_blank">Sandy Expenses and Commitments</a>,&rdquo; Red Cross has allocated around $98 million for casework and individual assistance, $94 million for food and shelter, $50 million for housing, $33 million for relief items, and an additional $25 million for things like healthcare services and emergency vehicles.</p>
<p>That adds up to about $300 million, which is just slightly less than the $311 million they raised.</p>
<p>But Smilowitz is skeptical about what the term &ldquo;has spent or made commitments to spend&rdquo; actually means.</p>
<p>&ldquo;The Red Cross could say they&rsquo;ve &ldquo;spent or made commitments to spend&rdquo; the entire $312 million, but they could have only cut checks for $100 million. We wouldn&rsquo;t know,&rdquo; Smilowitz said.</p>
<p>The Red Cross did not respond to VICE News&rsquo; question about further details on its &ldquo;commitments to spend.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Smilowitz has strong reasons for being suspicious of the charity.</p>
<p>He says that in May 2013, the Red Cross suddenly revoked some of the move-in assistance grants of $10,000 each that it had promised to more than 1,000 homeless Sandy victims.</p>
<p>Some Red Cross employees were so outraged, they came to his Disaster Accountability Project with the names of 700 people that had mysteriously been declared &ldquo;ineligible&rdquo; after being promised the grants.</p>
<p>Smilowitz then filed a complaint with the Attorney General&rsquo;s office, which began investigating the Red Cross&rsquo;s financial management.</p>
<p>A&nbsp;<a href="http://disasteraccountability.org/news-media/in-the-news/news110713.html" target="_blank">Red Cross whistleblower</a>, on conditions of anonymity, told Al Jazeera America in a November 2013 interview that Red Cross caseworkers were confused and upset.</p>
<p>&ldquo;There were clients who had received commitments from the Red Cross for money to assist them with the storm, but were then deemed ineligible,&rdquo; the still-employed whistleblower said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s not assisting clients. That&rsquo;s not directing the donor dollar where it should be. That&rsquo;s lying to victims of the storm and survivors of the storm.&rdquo;</p>
<p>But Kozel said that the Red Cross's Move-in Assistance Program has provided tens of millions of dollars to help thousands of families impacted by Superstorm Sandy.</p>
<p>"We have issued more than $27 million to more than 4,450 households as of June 13. Since January 2013, the Move-in Assistance Program has awarded assistance at an average of $1.5 million per month," Kozel told VICE News. "The program has been highly successful in providing financial assistance to people whose homes were destroyed and who have no resources to meet their housing-related needs. To ensure that we connected with people who might need assistance, Red Cross staff conducted outreach to almost 8,000 households to discuss their need for additional assistance and explain the case management and financial supports available to them."</p>
<p>Kozel said to date, the "Red Cross has committed $13.8 million to these sources of long-term recovery related financial assistance"and that it was "important to know that if people do not meet the criteria for Move-in Assistance Program, Red Cross case managers help them apply for other sources of financial assistance, such as the community-based Unmet Needs Roundtables."</p>
<p><span>Who Really Helped Sandy Victims?</span>&nbsp;<br />Shortly after Sandy, news reports began stating that the most prevalent force of relief workers on the frontlines of the damage weren&rsquo;t from the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, or FEMA. Instead, the largest group of volunteers were coordinated by Occupy Wall Street.</p>
<p>In a November 2012&nbsp;<em><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/11/nyregion/where-fema-fell-short-occupy-sandy-was-there.html?pagewanted=all&amp;_r=2&amp;" target="_blank">New York Times article</a></em>, Occupy volunteer Sofia Gallisa said the lack of official response at the time was &ldquo;crazy.&rdquo;</p>
<p>&ldquo;For a long time, we were the only people out here,&rdquo; Gallisa told the&nbsp;<em>Times</em>&nbsp;of Occupy&rsquo;s aid work in the Rockaways.</p>
<p>According to Occupy Sandy, about 6,000 volunteers served 85,000 meals during the first week after the hurricane. Occupy Sandy had raised just over&nbsp;<a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?key=0Ak2j3YRYMd8qdG1SYXRPNUw3NjFubjctNVZCRDJkZVE&amp;single=true&amp;gid=14&amp;output=html&amp;widget=true" target="_blank">$1 million</a>&nbsp;by September 2013 &mdash; pennies compared to the Red Cross.</p>
<p>Occupy Sandy volunteer Sam Corbin spent the winter doing relief work at Occupy&rsquo;s Brooklyn hubs and in the Rockaways.</p>
<p>&ldquo;Sometimes you would see the Red Cross truck, which would roll around the neighborhood with someone yelling out of a loudspeaker &lsquo;Go to this place to get food,&rsquo; or whatever,&rdquo; Corbin told VICE News. &ldquo;You didn&rsquo;t see a lot of people interacting with the truck, and I don&rsquo;t remember really seeing anyone ever getting out of the truck.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Corbin said she didn&rsquo;t fault the Red Cross.</p>
<p>&ldquo;It was an enormous disaster and it was really hard to manage anything,&rdquo; Corbin said.</p>
<p>The problem, Corbin said, was in the manner of approach.</p>
<p>&ldquo;A lot of these organizations would get a map and find the most densely populated area, and then drive there and just dump all these blankets and stuff there and wait for people to come to them. But people who lived a block away didn&rsquo;t have any idea that was there,&rdquo; said Corbin.</p>
<p><a href="https://news.vice.com/article/how-much-climate-change-denial-can-the-market-bear"><span>How Much Climate-Change Denial Can the Market Bear? Read more here.</span></a></p>
<p>Occupy Sandy used a mixed approach: running community &ldquo;hubs&rdquo; at churches and other centers where people could go for consistent services, and sending doctors and relief volunteers to canvass door-to-door.</p>
<p>Disaster Accountability Project is developing a tool to help disaster donors make informed decisions. That website should launch at the end of this summer.</p>
<p>&ldquo;The public gives to the biggest names but not necessarily the right organizations,&rdquo; said Smilowitz. &ldquo;People are giving millions of dollars after disasters to groups that may not have the capacity to deliver services, and organizations that are misleading in their solicitations.&rdquo;</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-the-red-cross-spent-hurricane-sandy-money-2014-6#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/gadgets-you-need-with-you-in-an-emergency-2014-3These Are The Gadgets You Need With You In An Emergencyhttp://www.businessinsider.com/gadgets-you-need-with-you-in-an-emergency-2014-3
Thu, 03 Apr 2014 17:48:00 -0400Jennifer Welsh
<p>When a natural disaster hits, how will you get in touch with your friends and loved ones?</p>
<p>Major disasters are happening more and more &mdash; declarations are up 37% in the last decade alone. While some people have survival bags packed and ready, there's still some tech they may be missing.</p>
<p>The infographic below highlights five technologies that will help you stay connected when disaster strikes. It includes everything from portable solar panels to cell phone signal boosters.</p>
<p>Check it out, courtesy of <span></span><a href="http://www.wilsonelectronics.com/">Wilson Electronics</a>:<img class="full" src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/533dd58469bedd234e27b035-650-4875/21stcenturytoolkit.png" border="0" alt="21stCenturyToolkit" /></p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/these-were-the-10-most-expensive-natural-disasters-of-2013-2014-1" >These Were The 10 Most Expensive Natural Disasters Of 2013</a></strong></p>
<p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/scientists-to-follow-on-social-media-2014-1" >These 40 Science Experts Will Completely Revamp Your Social Media Feed</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/gadgets-you-need-with-you-in-an-emergency-2014-3#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p>